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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand early setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.